1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the provision of dynamic and appealing cabinets and housings for electronic output and interactive devices such as televisions, radios, computers, video games, etc.
2. Background
Many years ago, TV sets were housed in large wooden cabinets that were designed to look like furniture. As time passed, most TV cabinets became less and less ornate, until the look of most modern TV cabinets evolved to resemble a simple black (or charcoal gray) box. Some TV designers have introduced colored models (e.g., silver or white), and some have used sculpted cabinets to distinguish their products from their competitors"" products. But no matter what style cabinet is selected by the designer, the appearance of the cabinet remains constant throughout the life of the TV set. This static appearance usually adds little or nothing to the decor of the room where the TV set resides. As a result, many people choose to hide their TV sets from view in entertainment centers and armoires, ironically restoring the TV set to its original furniture-enclosed condition.
Some devices (including, for example, computers and dishwashers) are sold with a plurality of different-colored user-installable panels. The user selects the desired panel, and slides or snaps it into position to change the appearance of the device. While the user can change the appearance of these devices, it is a manual operation that is usually only done once when the device is first installed.
Two unrelated classes of prior art exist. The first unrelated class includes items with non-static appearances that are interesting to watch. Examples of this class include lava lamps (which display slowly moving liquids), mood rings (which change color with temperature), and the devices that draw sparks between an electrode and a glass globe that surrounds the electrode. These devices are perceived, at least by some people, as interesting or beautiful.
The second unrelated class includes virtual pets, such as the Furby(trademark), which is made by Tiger electronics. Furby is a stuffed toy creature that uses sensors to detect external conditions such as sounds, lights, and movement. Furby makes sounds and opens or closes its eyes in response to these external conditions, and is programmed to give the appearance of learning or growing up in response its environment. Another type of virtual pet is the Tamagotchi(trademark), which is a keychain-sized device that includes a microcontroller, a display screen, and some push buttons. The program that runs on the microcontroller implements a xe2x80x9cvirtual petxe2x80x9d on the display which the user can xe2x80x9cfeedxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cplay withxe2x80x9d by pressing the appropriate buttons.
Until now, concepts from the field of virtual pets and from the field of devices with non-static appearances have never been applied in the context of television cabinets (or cabinets for other devices).
Picture a television set that is alive or has a persona of its own. Think of the television as having a mood and behavior, like a person or a simulated automaton. Television sets are becoming increasingly smart and interactive, so the idea of a television as being separate animate entity, in some sense, is already a familiar notion. But how would an animated television xe2x80x9cbehavexe2x80x9d to reflect its mood and to give it xe2x80x9clife?xe2x80x9d According to the invention, the cabinet itself may be animated using static or dynamic light, color, patterns, sound effects, etc. For example, instead of building televisions with plain fixed housings, the housing could incorporate materials or devices that allow the color of the cabinet to change in response to a control signal from a controller. If the television has been showing a comedy and the controller could classify real-time features of comedy shows (such as laugh-tracks), the controller could change the appearance of the cabinet to reflect the instantaneous mood of the programming; in this example by temporarily changing to a light, bright color, or rapidly-changing light patterns. For another example, if the television is being used to display a children""s show, the cabinet could display continuously-varying color schemes and patterns, that change in response to the action in the children""s show.
The cabinet need not change to reflect only the xe2x80x9cmoodxe2x80x9d of, or responses to, a currently displayed program. It could also reflect a persistent mood that is responsive to the recent history of programs displayed on it. So if the last three programs watched have been children""s cartoons, the cabinet might have a more light-hearted appearance than if the television had been used to watch war documentaries. Also, the controller may be configured to respond to its environment, not just television programming. For example, it could brighten its color when a person turns on a light in the room.
One aspect of the present invention relates to a television set that includes a cabinet, a display device affixed to the cabinet, and video circuitry that controls the display device so that a video portion of a program is displayed. The television set also includes a display panel that is affixed to the cabinet, an input device, and a controller. The display panel has a controllable appearance that depends on a first input. Based on an input accepted by the input device, the controller selects an appearance for the display panel and generates an output signal corresponding to the selected appearance. This output signal is provided to the first input of the display panel.
Another aspect of the present invention relates to a television set that includes a cabinet, a television display device integrated into the cabinet, and control circuitry that controls the television display device so that a video portion of a program is displayed. The television set also includes an auxiliary display device that is affixed to the cabinet, an input device, and a controller. The auxiliary display device has a first input. The appearance of the auxiliary display device depends on this first input. Based on an input indication accepted by the input device, the controller selects an appearance for the auxiliary display device and generates an output signal corresponding to the selected appearance. This output signal is provided to the first input of auxiliary display device.
Another aspect of the present invention relates to a method of changing an appearance of a device. In this method, the device is housed in a cabinet with a controllable appearance. An input is obtained, and an appearance of the cabinet is controlled based on the obtained input.